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Have You Seen My New Book, Living The Good Long Life?

I am very proud of my newest book, Living The Good Long Life: A Practical Guide To Caring For Yourself And Others. With this book, I wanted to create a guide that is a practical, no-nonsense, straightforward, important list of things to do so you can prepare to live a long life that's as good and healthy and carefree as possible. That includes how to incorporate fitness, supplements, cognitive exercises, and all the latest medical preventions and procedures, no matter your starting point. Whether you are 40, 50, 60, or beyond, these lifestyle changes are still an investment - money in the bank for staying mobile and healthy through our "platinum" years. Here are some pages from the book.

Note: We believe everyone can find a way to keep changing for the better. This is your chance to tell us how. Make a pledge and join me in Living the Good Long Life. One lucky pledge maker will be invited to visit me at my farm in Bedford for a full day of healthy living.

1 This is the cover of my newest book, (number 77!) Living The Good Long Life - a Practical Guide to Caring for Yourself and Others.

2 When the Martha Stewart Center for Living, which facilitates access to healthcare resources for older adults, opened in 2008, I chose the bonsai as my image for the process of graceful aging.

3 Here I am on my show with former President Bill Clinton in 2007. I was announcing my pledge to the Clinton Global Health Initiative to support caregivers of the elderly.

4 This is the ribbon cutting ceremony in the garden at the Martha Stewart Center for Living at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York City on October 9, 2007.

5 Here I am with some of the doctors involved with opening the Center.

6 The logo for the Center is a bonsai tree, to symbolize graceful aging.

7 One of the many wellness classes offered at the Center.

8 Here I am breaking new ground with Mom, to whom I dedicated the Center.

9 I believe in eating real food. I grow much of what I eat because I love to garden. But even when I’m food shopping or eating out, the same principle applies: quality and purity matter.

10 Living the Good Long Life contains 40 recipes for small meals and snacks that can be enjoyed from breakfast through dinner, plus a few healthful desserts. To make this Blueberry-Green Tea Smoothie, in a blender, puree 1/2 cup each frozen blueberries and strawberries, 1/2 cup chilled unsweetened green tea, 3/4 cup plain low-fat yogurt, and 2 tablespoons ground flaxseed until smooth.

11 One of my favorite weekday lunches is a large salad—fresh greens and fresh herbs dressed with a vinaigrette, along with a simply cooked piece of salmon drizzled with fresh lemon juice. This tasty meal provides enough protein and staying power to get me through a busy afternoon—and it’s heart-healthy as well.

12 I love to walk, but when I discovered hiking, it took walking to a whole new level. Here I am enjoying a hike in Joshua Tree National Park in 2009.

13 I’m out in my garden every opportunity I have, and it is always very physical. I push wheelbarrows full of dirt, I dig holes to plant, I cultivate on my hands and knees, I bend over and squat down—all of that is very good for you.

14 Living the Good Long Life is also packed with helpful illustrations that demonstrate varied daily walks, stretches, and strength-training exercises. Lining up your spine correctly reduces wear and tear on the bones, joints, and ligaments of the body.

15 In addition to limbering your muscles, stretching can balance your energy, whether you’re feeling run-down, sluggish, or keyed up. This chair twist is one of four different yoga stretches I use when I need to relax or when I need to recharge in the middle of the day.

16 Try this "march in place" technique to improve balance - stand with your right hand on the back of a sturdy chair then slowly lift your leg, knee bent, until it forms a right angle (your knee will be aligned with your hip). Lower slowly to the floor and repeat 15 times. Then switch legs (hold the chair with your left hand) for another set of 15 reps.

17 It’s never too late to take up a new sport. I took up horseback riding only about 10 years ago, and now it’s become one of my favorite weekend activities.

18 I started lifting weights many years ago, and I’ve always enjoyed it. I like feeling strong. Here I am with Mary, my trainer.

19 I feel my creativity is different from when I was younger; now it is richer and deeper from life experiences. I want to do more creating in ways that challenge myself, so I have been spending time developing my photography skills.

20 I am not a very big social game player, but the value of knowing a fun card game or words or numbers game to play when there is downtime is very beneficial.

21 We all need to work harder on social skills—visiting, remembering birthdays, taking trips together—with both friends and family. Here is my mother, Martha Kostyra, with her friend, artist Camille Haner, in Westport, Connecticut, in 2000.

22 In truth, I don’t think about age much at all because there is so much to do, so many things to accomplish, and so much to look forward to.

23 Keeping a list of things you want to do during your lifetime—and then checking them off before you kick the bucket—is a really good thing. Known for its incredible rock formations and its extraordinary vegetative wonders, Joshua Tree National Park had long been on my “bucket list.”

24 Finding humor in the action of a child or pet, or in a newspaper article, can provide a fresh outlook and a helpful distraction.

27 I never wear the same shoes two days in a row. Aging brings many changes to your feet, but pain shouldn’t be one of them. Living the Good Long Life includes many tips on how to build a healthier foundation for your whole body.

28 Believe it or not, I have always gotten a great deal of pleasure and satisfaction from cleaning and organizing. Everyone can function better, live better, and feel better in an orderly, organized, tidy environment.